Mu opioid receptor expression by nucleus accumbens inhibitory interneurons promotes affiliative social behavior.

Mu opioid receptors in the nucleus accumbens regulate motivated behavior, including pursuit of natural rewards like social interaction as well as exogenous opioids. We used a suite of genetic and viral strategies to conditionally delete mu opioid receptor expression from all major neuron types in the nucleus accumbens. We pinpoint inhibitory interneurons as an essential site of mu opioid receptor expression for typical social behavior, independent from exogenous opioid sensitivity.

Cultural factors influencing COVID-19-related perceptions and behavior, seen from immigrants' own perspective - a qualitative study in Norway.

Background: Cultural factors are often mentioned as a possible explanation for the observed differences between immigrant populations compared to general populations with regards to COVID-19 disease burden and vaccination rates, but usually without any further exploration of what this entails. This paper aims to capture the thoughts of immigrants themselves and explore how they think culture may or may not have affected vaccination rates and health behavior during the pandemic.

Methods: We performed qualitative interviews with 18 immigrants from Poland, Somalia and Sri Lanka living in Norway.

Midwives' experiences with aortic compression for postpartum hemorrhage: A qualitative study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine midwives' firsthand experience with aortic compression during postpartum hemorrhage. Severe postpartum hemorrhage is a critical complication during childbirth and the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Active management of the third stage of labor, combined with standard treatment, has reduced the incidence.

Early labour experience and labour characteristics after introduction of an electronic early labour educational intervention.

Objective: The study's aim was to compare first-time mothers' experience of early labour and subsequent labour characteristics before and after introducing an online early labour educational intervention. This article also reports on further testing of the underlying structure of the of the Early Labour Experience Questionnaire (ELEQ) in a Norwegian setting.

Methods: Pre- and post-intervention cohorts were recruited.

Development of and Experiences With an Informational Website on Early Labor: Qualitative User Involvement Study.

Background: The period of regular contractions before 4 cm of cervical dilatation is often referred to as the latent phase or early labor. Women find it challenging to prepare for and cope with this phase of labor, and easily accessed web-based information from reliable sources may be useful in this preparation.

Objective: The aim of this study is to describe the development of a Norwegian website, Latens.

A qualitative study of Norwegian first-time mothers' information needs in pre-admission early labour.

Objective: To explore women's experience with information, and their information needs in pre-admission early labour.

Design: A qualitative study with an exploratory and descriptive approach.

Setting: Five focus group interviews with women attending post-natal care at five different well-baby clinics in South-Eastern Norway in 2019.

Biosolids applications to tall fescue have long-term influence on soil nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus.

Repeated applications of biosolids provide long-term benefits by increasing soil organic matter and N supply but can cause excess accumulation of P. Our objective was to determine the residual effects of repeated surface applications of biosolids on N availability and fate, tall fescue ( Schreb.) response, soil C, and P.

Rosiglitazone treatment improves cardiac efficiency in hearts from diabetic mice.

Isolated perfused hearts from type 2 diabetic (db/db) mice show impaired ventricular function, as well as altered cardiac metabolism. Assessment of the relationship between myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO(2)) and ventricular pressure-volume area (PVA) has also demonstrated reduced cardiac efficiency in db/db hearts. We hypothesized that lowering the plasma fatty acid supply and subsequent normalization of altered cardiac metabolism by chronic treatment with a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) agonist will improve cardiac efficiency in db/db hearts.

[Treatment of congestive heart failure].

The Working Group on Heart Failure of the Norwegian Society of Cardiology here presents a revised programme for the treatment of congestive heart failure. Possible surgical and percutaneous interventions should be considered, and non- pharmacological measures taken as indicated for each patient. ACE-inhibitors are the first-line pharmacological therapy in heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (< 40%).

[Congestive heart failure--etiology and diagnostic procedures].

Congestive heart failure is a major health problem in the western world and the prevalence of patients with this diagnosis increases. About 2% of the adult population are affected; the majority are elderly, which represents a challenge when it comes to assessment and treatment. This article concerns the aetiology and diagnosis of congestive heart failure and provides a suggestion for guidelines.

Estimating plant-available nitrogen release from manures, composts, and specialty products.

Recent adoption of national rules for organic crop production have stimulated greater interest in meeting crop N needs using manures, composts, and other organic materials. This study was designed to provide data to support Extension recommendations for organic amendments. Specifically, our objectives were to (i) measure decomposition and N released from fresh and composted amendments and (ii) evaluate the performance of the model DECOMPOSITION, a relatively simple N mineralization/immobilization model, as a predictor of N availability.

Reduced coronary reserve in response to short-term ischaemia and vasoactive drugs in ex vivo hearts from diabetic mice.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to compare the coronary flow (CF) reserve of ex vivo perfused hearts from type 2 diabetic (db/db) and non-diabetic (db/+) mice.

Methods: The hearts were perfused in the Langendorff mode with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer (37 degrees C, pH 7.4) containing 11 mmol L(-1) glucose as energy substrate.

Is oxygen supply a limiting factor for survival during rewarming from profound hypothermia?

It has been postulated that unsuccessful resuscitation of victims of accidental hypothermia is caused by insufficient tissue oxygenation. The aim of this study was to test whether inadequate O2 supply and/or malfunctioning O2 extraction occur during rewarming from deep/profound hypothermia of different duration. Three groups of rats (n = 7 each) were used: group 1 served as normothermic control for 5 h; groups 2 and 3 were core cooled to 15 degrees C, kept at 15 degrees C for 1 and 5 h, respectively, and then rewarmed.

Cardiovascular effects of epinephrine during rewarming from hypothermia in an intact animal model.

Rewarming from accidental hypothermia is often complicated by "rewarming shock," characterized by low cardiac output (CO) and a sudden fall in peripheral arterial pressure. In this study, we tested whether epinephrine (Epi) is able to prevent rewarming shock when given intravenously during rewarming from experimental hypothermia in doses tested to elevate CO and induce vasodilation, or lack of vasodilation, during normothermia. A rat model designed for circulatory studies during experimental hypothermia and rewarming was used.

Characterization of fresh yard trimmings for agricultural use.

Direct application of yard trimmings to agricultural land can benefit soils and crop production, while providing an outlet for handling high volumes of materials at compost facilities. Variability in the composition of yard trimmings can make it difficult to determine appropriate application rates. Our objective was to characterize the chemical composition and variability of yard trimmings generated throughout the spring and summer season at facilities in the Puget Sound region of Washington State.

Influence of substrate supply on cardiac efficiency, as measured by pressure-volume analysis in ex vivo mouse hearts.

In the present study, we tested the reliability of measurements of pressure-volume area (PVA) and oxygen consumption (MVo(2)) in ex vivo mouse hearts, combining the use of a miniaturized conductance catheter and a fiber-optic oxygen sensor. Second, we tested whether we could reproduce the influence of increased myocardial fatty acid (FA) metabolism on cardiac efficiency in the isolated working mouse heart model, which has already been documented in large animal models. The hearts were perfused with crystalloid buffer containing 11 mM glucose and two different concentrations of FA bound to 3% BSA.

Clinical and serological variation between patients infected with different Hepatitis B virus genotypes.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has eight genotypes which have distinct geographical distributions. Studies comparing differences in the clinical outcomes of infections caused by strains with genotype-related variations in the HBV genome have largely compared genotypes B and C and genotypes A and D but not all four genotypes. The present study included 196 HBV-infected patients attending an infectious diseases outpatient clinic in Sweden.

Measurement of coronary flow reserve in isolated hearts from mice.

Aim: Langendorff-perfused murine hearts are increasingly used in cardiovascular research, but coronary cardiovascular haemodynamics vary considerably from one research group to another. The aim of this study was to establish an isolated, retrogradely perfused mouse heart preparation for the simultaneous measurement of left ventricular haemodynamics and of coronary flow (CF).

Methods: Heart rate was controlled by right atrial pacing (480 beats min(-1)) and heart temperature was kept constant.

Effect of combined statin and beta-blocker treatment on one-year morbidity and mortality after acute myocardial infarction associated with heart failure.

This retrospective, nonrandomized analysis evaluated the effect of initiating statin or beta-blocker treatment early in the course of heart failure developed during acute myocardial infarction compared with the effect of neither or both treatments. Early initiation of statins or beta blockers alone was associated with improved event-free survival, and the benefits of the combined treatment were additive.

[Use of nuclear cardiologic methods].

A review of nuclear cardiology is presented with a focus on myocardial scintigraphy, radionuclide ventriculography and positron emission tomography. Aspects of practical importance for the clinical cardiologist and general practitioner are discussed.

A new method for normalized interpretation of antimicrobial resistance from disk test results for comparative purposes.

Objective: To evaluate a calibration method for disk diffusion antibiotic susceptibility tests, using zone diameter values generated in the individual laboratory as the internal calibrator for combinations of antibiotic and bacterial species.

Methods: The high-zone side of zone histogram distributions was first analyzed by moving averages to determine the peak position of the susceptible population. The accumulated percentages of isolates for the high zone diameter values were calculated and converted into probit values.

Molecular diversity and phylogenetic affinities of symbiotic root-associated ascomycetes of the Helotiales in burnt and metal polluted habitats.

•  The diversity and phylogenetic affinities of symbiotic root-associated ascomycetes of the Helotiales are reported here based on ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (internal transcribed spacer, ITS) nrDNA sequences. •  Mycobionts were obtained from roots of ericoid plants and grasses and from Piceirhiza bicolorata ectomycorrhizas (pbECM) on conifers and hardwoods, predominantly in burnt and metal-polluted habitats.

Treatment of intracranial hypertension and aspects on lumbar dural puncture in severe bacterial meningitis.

Background: Brain stem herniation due to raised intracranial pressure (ICP) is a common cause of mortality in severe bacterial meningitis, but continuous measurements of ICP and the effects of ICP-reducing therapy in these patients have, to our knowledge, not been described.

Methods: During a four-year period, an ICP-monitoring device was implanted in patients admitted to our hospital with severe bacterial meningitis and suspected intracranial hypertension. ICP above 20 mmHg was treated using the Lund Concept, which includes antihypertensive therapy (beta1-antagonist,alpha2-agonist), normalization of the plasma colloid osmotic pressure and the blood volume, and antistress therapy.